New Delhi: Concerned over the deteriorating health of Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand who is on a fast for the last 61 days demanding conservation of the river Ganga, the Centre has started making efforts to persuade the seer to end his fast. Union Minister Narayansamy and Sriprakash Jaiswal talked to the saint in this regard on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Tejinder Khanna along with Acharya Lokesh paid a visit to the saint who is undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is also the Chairman of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGBRA) sent a two-member delegation to AIIMS on Tuesday in order to hold talks with the seer.

Since the swami is not maintaining a good health, his guru Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati mediated with the government representatives on his behalf. The government proposed a meeting on April 17 to which the saint agreed.

According to the sources, Swami Sanand’s first demand is that he should be allowed to decide the agenda of the meeting and secondly a five member team of the Sant Samaj should be allowed to participate in the meeting which was accepted by the government’s representatives.

Avimukteshwaranand made it clear that until the NGBRA discontinues work on the dam which is being built on the holy river with immediate effect, there would be no negotiations with the government and Swami Sanand will not end his fast.

However, Sanand continued his fast on Tuesday as well. The representatives of the government have sought time till Wednesday to respond on the issue. Sabal Bharat Coordinator Dr Ved Pratap Vedic who arrived at the hospital to take note of seer’s health said, “It is sad that the government did not pay heed to even the just demands of the saint.

After meeting the saint, Founder of Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan KN Govindacharya said, “The condition of Swami Sanand is critical but he is conscious. The government must make efforts to persuade him to end his fast. If the government had made efforts earlier, his condition would not have been so critical.”